Cate
by Tanya Reed
Summary: A short snippet about Cate.


Cate

by Tanya Reed

Well, here is another short one from me. It's the shortest one yet! I don't know why Ruby (that's my muse) keeps giving me little snippets, but I'll take whatever she wants to give me. As for the story, I have no idea where it came from. I don't like Cate...I mean, I really don't like Cate. The first episode I saw her in was Incognito, and I hated the way that she hinted that Nigel before lancet was not her equal. You would never hear him say, "Gee, Cate, I'm so glad this relic made you smarter. I couldn't be attracted to you before, you were too stupid." But anyway, for some reason this snippet came to me and I wrote it. I hope you like it. It's unbetaed, so please forgive any spelling (I'm a horrible speller) or grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: Relic Hunter and its characters do not belong to me.

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She had dreamed of him again.

Cate sat at her kitchen table staring into the dark depths of her morning coffee. Memories of her dreams tortured her mind. They were so real that she could almost believe that he was there, in her bedroom, waiting for her to come back to bed.

It had been going on for months now. When she slept, her subconscious mind plagued her with images and sensations. His smooth, confident hands ran possessively over her skin; his beautiful hazel eyes blazed with a passion only she could quench. It was torture to wake up and find herself alone.

Cate shook her head and rose, leaving her mug on the table. The coffee inside had long since grown cold. Hugging herself, she walked over to the window to stare out over the city. It was still early, and dark had not yet given way to light. Everything was peaceful and calm--everything, that is, except Cate's thoughts.

What was it about his smile that had first made her aware that he was different? Or maybe it was his stance. She couldn't be sure. All she knew was that he had been different. For one brief space in time, he had been all she had ever wanted or needed.

She loved him. Cate could not deny this. She couldn't deny it now, and she couldn't deny it then. She had known when she watched him walk into that church alone--after the kiss. The kiss that had shaken her down to her core.

Cate remembered what came after, how frightened she had been and how she wished Sydney would just punch her in the face for being such an idiot. Then, they had found him, and he had bravely put himself between Sydney and certain death. The whole thing had made Cate's heart beat wildly with excitement and fear and pride.

She thought it was Nigel she loved. When things returned to normal, she had even gone out with him a couple of times. Though she tried, the feelings she had experienced during their adventure hid themselves away, and Nigel was just Nigel once more. He looked like the man she loved--he had his face, and he had his eyes. Cate tried to pretend that Nigel was the same, but the fire and confidence were gone. In the end, Cate had to admit to herself that she was in love with a man who didn't exist.

It had been hell breaking it to Nigel. She wanted to be gentle, but Nigel was too smart for that. He remembered what she said in the hotel room, and the pain of it shone brokenly from his eyes. Being Nigel, he understood what she wasn't saying and saw right through to what she was feeling. He accepted it so calmly that Cate knew he was probably expecting it. Still, she could tell how much it hurt him, and hurting him that way almost killed her. It made her want to take it back and continue pretending it was Nigel that she loved. But she couldn't.

With a sigh, Cate turned from the window, trying to push thoughts of her phantom lover from her mind. He had never really existed. His reality had been a momentary side-effect of some ancient spell. Cate knew this in her mind but, somehow, she just couldn't convince her heart.

She went back to her coffee and dumped it down the sink. She turned on the tap and imagined her thoughts swirling around and down the drain with the dark liquid. Then, she strapped on her gun and grabbed her purse. If she didn't hurry, she'd be late for work. At least there, emotions were the last thing on her mind.

Cate took a deep breath. Straightening her shoulders and stubbornly jutting out her jaw, she turned off the lights and opened her apartment door to meet the day.

The end

So, what'd you think? Was it as strange as it felt when I was writing it?


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